Gestational diabetes & diabetes in pregnancy
Early Pregnancy Central Obesity and Risk of Prenatal and Postpartum Diabetes and Hypertensive Disorders
Authors' conclusion
Early pregnancy central obesity measures may enhance perinatal cardiometabolic risk assessment, helping identify at-risk individuals who could be missed using BMI alone.
Study context
- Population
- Pregnant individuals with early pregnancy central obesity measures (waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, body roundness index)
- Participants
- 3,055 individuals
- Exposure
- Early pregnancy central obesity measures, independently and jointly with BMI
- Outcome
- GDM, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, postpartum prediabetes/diabetes, postpartum chronic hypertension
Methodological detailsModified Poisson (prenatal outcomes) and Cox (postpartum outcomes) regression
- Modified Poisson (prenatal outcomes) and Cox (postpartum outcomes) regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Dose-response relationship between increasing central obesity and all outcomes, even after adjusting for BMI
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Central obesity among individuals with healthy prepregnancy BMI
- Higher risk of GDM (relative risks)
- 1.92-2.42
- Higher risk of postpartum prediabetes/diabetes (HRs)
- 1.50-2.16
- Higher risk of postpartum chronic hypertension (HRs)
- 2.04-3.63
Original publication
Early Pregnancy Central Obesity and Risk of Prenatal and Postpartum Diabetes and Hypertensive Disorders. Diabetes Care. Published 13 April 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →